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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 31, 1912)
triaAMMiN JHWi ' " i '- ' T- .- it il J X The Commoner. w-a . f tr il.- ' EH It it ri it i ' K'J il blood of wild beasts. Up goes the cry, 'Wo want Toddy; wo wunt Toddy.' Not even La Folletto not oven CummlnB 1b advanced enough. They do not know tho moaning of progrosslvcism." Mr. Dies attributed to "ignoranco at homo and cowardice hero" hlB charges that tho re public was going ahead at home, more and more slowly by reason only of Its acquired momen tum." Thcso distinguished representatives of a pass ing order should calm themselves. Mr. Dies will, at tho expiration of his present term of olllco, retire from public Hfo. Jt is very lllcely that Dr. Galllnger will soon go tho way that Aldrlch went, tho way that Eugene Hale went, tho way of W. Murray Crano. These people will go into private Hfo because they do not have the proper conception of the duties of a public official. Thoro have been times and it is oven so in some instances today whon men woro presumed to represent in public office special intorosts rather than the public welfaro but "tho tendency of the times" against which these gentlemen complain is bringing about a change. A public office is presumed to bo a public trust rather than a private snap and tho private monopolies which these private snappers havo helped to build up aro now regarded as Indefensible and intolerable. It is a brighter day when "tho greatest good to tho greatest number" rather than "all thoro is for tho hands of a few" is tho thought uppermost in tho mind of tho public official as ho approaches the dis charge of his public duty. Tho Martin Dies and tho Dr. Gallinger's, tho Aldrich's and tho Crano's aro to leave tho public service because they aro not in harmony with this new fashioned old fashioned idea that in America government is for tho peoplo and must therefore necessarily be of tho peoplo and 'by tho people. LA FOLLETTE, THE LOGICAL CANDIDATE Tho Sioux City Journal points out that: Candidate Taft lost his home state, Ohio. Candidate Roosovelt lost his homo state, New xTork. Candidate Cummins lost his home state, Iowa. Candidate La Folletto carried his home state, Wisconsin. Tho Journal therefore concludes: "If tho home state argument is to bo conclusive, tho moral is that Senator La Follotte, tho only candidate who had strength enough to carry tho state where he naturally should command the most enthusiastic and loyal support, is the logi cal nomineo of tho Chicago convention." But tho nomination of Mr. La Folletto could bo urged on a much broader ground than that suggested by tho Sioux City Journal. Mr. La Folletto is a real progressive. His heart as well as his tonguo is in tho work. Ho may bo de pended upon to protect tho public interests. None of tho factions among tho special interests aro supporting La Folletto. If tho republican party means to bo progres sive let it nominate a progressive in whom men of all parties havo faith. MONEY, MONEY, EVERYWHERE , Mr. Taft's manager charges that three hun dred thousand dollars was spent in Ohio for Mr. Roosevelt, while tho Taft managers spent only twenty-five thousand dollars. The New ' y?rl5 World correspondent says, however, that JIOO.OOO was spent for Mr. Taft and 300,000 for Mr. Roosevelt. Neither side in tho controversy is in a posi tion to make any complaint in the matter of money used in elections. Repeatedly money has been spent for tho benefit of both Taft and Roosevelt and these gentlemen had overy reason for knowing that tho money came from special interests that were looking for some favors at tho expense of tho public. A NEWS ITEM Mr. Hearst sends the following letter to the editor of Pearson's Magazine: "I have declared a preference for the man (Champ Clark) who I believe represents them (my policies) best and I shall labor to secure the presidential nomi nation for him. If at any time, or for any reason, he should retire, and the selection of a candidate to represent true democracy and genu ino progressive principles should lie between an avowed reactionary and a pretended progres sive, I might become a candidate." Tho democratic congress marches on with a large contingent of the republicans voting for ill the democratic measures. A SINGLE TERM There are a few who object to the proposed amendment limiting the president to a single term and tho chief objection advanced is that a president may become Indifferent to the wishes of the public if he is not a candidate for re-election. This is a very shallow argument and would apply to the second term under the two year limit. Shall wo re-elect presidents CON TINUOUSLY in order to keep them sensitive to public opinion? The presidency is usually given as a reward for services performed in the sen ate, house or in some state office, so that tho unworthy are sifted out. Surely, the desire to earn an honorable place In history ought to bo sufllcient to bring out the best that is in a man. There is more to b'e feared from the misuse of patronage than from indifference to obligations and to the wishes of tho pebple. One term is enough one term of four years is preferable but a single term o'f six years would be better than two four-year terms. Now is the time to push tho single term amendment. OHIO IS DIVIDED Full, returns from the democratic primary in Ohio aro not yet obtainable. The seventy-five counties that have reported officially give Gover nor Harmon 7G,237 and Governor Wilson 68, 042, a majority of about 8,195 for the former, but in these same counties 2,806 wrote Mr. Clark's name on the ballot and 2,108 wrote Mr. Bryan's name. Subtracting these 4,914 pro gressives from Harmon's vote and his majority in the seventy-five counties is reduced to a little more than 3,000. Of the forty-two district dele gates Mr. Harmon has secured twenty-two and the progressives nineteen one district being still in doubt. Governor Harmon having carried tho state, will have the choice of the six dele-gates-at-large, which will give him twenty-eight and possibly twenty-nine out of the forty-eight delegatos. If this can be construed as a vic tory for the reactionaries, they are welcome to whatever satisfaction they can get out of it. CRANE WILL RETDRE Senator W. Murray Crane of Massachusetts has announced that he will retire Irom the senate. This announcement came as a surprise to the public, although it does not greatly sur prise close students of political trend. Mr. Crane is a standpatter among standpatters. He is one of the leaders of tho "old guard" He follows into retirement his old comrades, Hale of Maine, and Aldrlch of Rhode Island and he goes for the same reason that Aldrlch went. He sees the hand-writing on the wall. Massachu setts is in no mood to return him. THE REST WAS "WALK AWAY" "This is the end of the contest," said Senator Dixon. This is what Senator Dixon said in sub stance after tho returns were received from Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland and California. Sioux City (la.) Journal. Perhaps Mr. Dixon did not regard anything after California as real contests. He might have thought of it as walk-away and that is about the way the onlooker regards it. The fact is the farther Messrs. Taft and Roosevelt go the worse Mr. Taft's chances look. MAYBE NOT Senator Elihu Root was chosen temporary chairman of the republican national convention by the national committee, but the committee is in control of the Taft forces, while the conven tion may be in the control of the Roosevelt forces. Senator Root has "accepted," but The Commoner advises him not to set his heart upon the position. Mr. Root is very apt, in the par lance of the next republican nominee for presi dent of tho United States, to be "slugged over tho ropes." && uva ROOSEVELT WINS IN OniO In the Ohio primary Mr. Roosevelt won a pronounced victory, securing all but 10 of the 42 delegates and a majority of the preferential vote which would give him the six de?ete at-large. Taft men threatened that if they con trolled the state convention they would in struct the delegates for Mr. Taft but Roosevelt captured the state convention. -"oaeveit GOOD FOR MASSACHUSETTS! Tho Massachusetts house of representatives was the first legislative body to act upon the ratification of the proposed amendment to the federal constitution providing for tho direct VOLUME 12, NUMBER 21 election of United States senators. A few days later tho Massachusetts senate acted. In this way Massachusetts has the honor of being tho first state to formally ratify the amendment em bodying one of the greatest reform measures. Good for Massachusetts. DEMOCRATIC LITERATURE Dr. J. M. Fulton,' Audubon, Iowa It seems like Mr. Bryan not only has to defend democ racy against the onslaughts of Aristocracy but against enemies in our own "party. Therefore it behooves all believers in good government to assist Mr. Bryan in keeping up this defense that was commenced twenty years ago and which is not finished. The special interests are practi cally in control of all the large dailies in the United States and by deceiving the public into the false notion that they are progressive foist their publications upon them. Just now another struggle has to be made for real democracy and we need literature to counteract the false doctrines set up by Wall street boosters. Why not circulate The Com moner in every county in every state. It al ready has a large circulation all over the state but we can't have too many. Circulate The Commoner and it will have the desired effect. THE POSTAL VOTE The traveling men are organizing to secure the postal vote, as it is called in New Zealand. It is a vote sent by mail under proper regula tions, when the voter happens to be away from home on election day. Mr. Bryan has been an advocate of the postal vote for years; it ought to be provided for in every state. It would be of special service to the 800,000 traveling men of the United States and would also be convenient for students and for others (including the sick) who can not go to the polls on election day. The postal vote is just and being just it will come "eventually, why not now?" COMPLIMENTS Compliments fly think and fast through tho republican atmosphere. Here 1b a sample of the things being said by republican leaders of one another: Senator Root intimaled, with a smile, that the Chicago convention might.be a very lively affair, and that the fighting wpuld, probably start at the door. "Do you look for Mr. Roosevelt to bolt if he fails to win the nomination?" "He will not bolt if he is nominated," said Mr. Root with the wisdom of a delphic oracle. THE HENRY AMENDMENT What is the matter with Congressman Henry's amendment to change the date of inauguration and the time for convening the sessions of con gress? It ought to be submitted. The first ses sion should begin soon after the members are elected and the second session should adjourn before the following election. IN NEBRASKA A typographical error in last week's issue of The Commoner made it appear that J. R. Tulley was one of the district delegates to the demo cratic national convention from the Third Ne braska district. It should have been J. R. Kelley. Later returns also show that In the Sixth Ne braska district George C. Glllan instead of Orin Reed was elected district delegate. DISHEARTENING "Probably never in our political history has olS CUn4rry,faed an outlok so disheartening," S the Wa" Street Journal, in referring to the Roosevelt-Taft controversy. Oh, cheer up; the worst is yet to come at Chicago, June 18th. THE ROLL OP HONOR Massachusetts leads off In the ratification of H aS?? ue? ProvidinS for the popular elec Sh? i w teJ States senators by direct vote. Next! n the new ro11 of honor- thnnnni0 ratify the amendment for Wnmn A ie,CtLn of senatrs the senate will wort? ifnJllgest leSislative body in the JtitPBSihSeni,)SB renresonting the ripened statesmanship of the nation. whIth.tr8lf,?t,inlBm ln a rePucan editor is whether he still speaks of the coming republi- 1 2ent,onB1 in the singular-there will be the 0nteo?m?ny.PreB,den,; WithdraWS ln